i touched the ball before it went out, coach. come on, alex, the ref did not call that! i touched, it's their ball. team! alex. alex, good call. taxpayers thousands. >> he's a predatory real estate speculator. snatched up nearly 300 foreclosed homes. >> sued over 400 times for fraud, discrimination and more. >> reporter: the president faces

an uphill battle. polls show voters angry toward those in power and young republicans more eager to vote than young democrats. vinita and rob? as the investigation in the saturday night emergency landing of a small plane moves forward we've now learned the type of aircraft involved has had previous landing gear problems. the crj-900 regional jet has a history of landing gear doors that warp. it's still unclear if the plane involved in saturday's incident has had that particular problem. the delta jet was on its way to white plains, new york, from atlanta when it was forced to land at jfk airport. we know texting while driving is not a good idea. a new insurance industry study says banning it does not necessarily reduce crashes. the study looked at climbs filed on collisions in four states. it found no drop in accidents in those states. may also lead to crashes. and of course text messages got a wisconsin prosecutor in so much trouble, now he's one step closer to stepping down.

five women accuse him of sexual harassment after receiving dozens of messages. t.j. winick reports on the scandal. >> reporter: wisconsin's governor had convened a hearing to remove calumet county district attorney ken kratz from office. his attorney said that won't be necessary. >> i have had recent contact with mr. kratz and he intends on resigning. >> reporter: he's been under pressure to resign since allegations surfaced he had sent inappropriate text messages to a domestic abuse victim while prosecuting her ex-boyfriend. >> he would say things like, i'm in traverse city with my family for the week, in between naps how can you please me in between the sheets? >> reporter: kratz, a republican, has been the top prosecutor in the eastern county of green bay since 1992. >> my behavior was inappropriate. i'm embarrassed and ashamed. >> reporter: despite his apology, the d.a. had refused to step down. until now. instead, opting for a medical leave to get psychiatric help.

the commissioner agreed that a resignation would end the removal process. >> the only result of this particular proceeding could be a determination by the governor of whether or not to remove mr. kratz. >> reporter: while kratz's resignation is not official, according to his attorney it will certainly come by october 8th. the date of the next hearing in the removal process. t.j. winick, abc news, new york. while some areas have disappointing pumpkin crops this year due to summer heat, that is not the situation out west. >> with halloween a month away, 'tis the season of the gargantuan gourds. some of the biggest pumpkins around were on display at a festival in suburban denver. >> a south dakota man took home top honors for a giant pumpkin that weighed over 1,500 pounds. the runner-up was a 1,200-pounder. these growers say on the peak of growing season these things can grow anywhere from 30 to 40 pounds. i'd love to see a time lapse of

these things as they grow. >> more news after this. hó so whiten your teeth. no coffee. [ female announcer ] crest 3d white toothpaste removes up to 80% of surface stains in just two weeks. hi. [ female announcer ] for a noticeably whiter smile.

crest 3d white toothpaste.

or does frizz make you start all over? get ready for a revolution. the new pantene. frizzy to smooth system. medium to thick hair absorbs up to 40% more moisture. so we customized a pro-v system that in test, outlasts the frizz point. the results? smooth stays into the second day. put it to the test. frizzy to smooth from new pantene.

healthy makes it happen. the pantene re-invention is here. introducing the new pantene custom solutions. with options for your unique hair structure. thick, fine, curly or color. to make the hair you love, last and last. put it to the test. find your new pantene.

and welcome back, everybody. there you go. you'll be seeing a slight change to the labels on your pints of ben and jerry's. the ice cream company has agreed to drop the phrase "all natural" from all its labels, in reaction to a request from the center for science in the public interest, the so-called food police. ben and jerry's says it is not changing any of its recipes. >> even with or without the labeling i have a feeling it's probably just as good. >> creme brulee ice cream. >> we want to talk about the purple drink that claims to have big health benefits. its advertised benefits could be a big, fat lie.

>> the government is now squeezing makers of pom wonderful juice. the crackdown as andrea canning now records. >> reporter: by now you've probably seen the ads and the promises of this little red bottle. pom wonderful pomegranate juice claims to have healing super powers. helping you to cheat death. the company boasts anti-oxidants in the juice can lead to a 30% decrease in your arterial plaque. 17% improved blood flow. and can even treat erectile dysfunction. the problem? the government says it's just not true. >> we know there's no scientific evidence available today that supports these claims. >> reporter: but the claims aside, we wanted to know are there health benefits from drinking pomegranate juice? >> pomegranate juice is loaded with anti-oxidants. but you can't take these claims to the extreme level. >> is this a cure-all? >> it is not a cure-all. >> reporter: in a statement pom wonderful said they stand behind their science and they'll make

that case in an upcoming hearing. if the government gets its way pom will soon need an extreme makeover of its own. andrea canning, abc news, new york. >> that's right, the company says it actually has spent 34 million bucks on research to back up its claims here. eventually they say they'll share some of that research. i love this. it's tart. i saw your face. >> the funny thing is i feel like this, in and of itself, there's a whole market for it now. salad dressings, drinks late at night. it's an interesting story, the back story, when you think that ten years ago we never even heard of pomegranate juice >> now it's everywhere. >> lip-puckeringly good. google's humble beginnings. >> google's founders, their ambitions, and the web search >> google's founders, their ambitions, and the web search emergency marks a big milestone. i touched the ball before it went out, coach. come on, alex, the ref did not call that!

i touched, it's their ball. don't foul them when they inbound. team! alex! good call.

internet giant google celebrated their 12th birthday monday. it has certainly come a long way since the debut in 1998. >> that's for sure. it's made our lives easier, we can attest to that for sure. it's also made its developers billionaires. for more we go to the abc news vault from february 20th, 2004. >> it's a tremendous responsibility for us to have all the eyes focused on what we do and give people exactly what they need when they ask for it. >> as we go forward i hope we can continue to produce technology to make really big advances in how people can live and work. >> reporter: this is sir garbians's invention. the world's most popular internet search engine added 1 billion new websites to their service. their intention's become a touchstone of our culture. >> when we set out in the early web days we didn't decide to do online horoscopes services.

but search which is about information which can make a real difference in people's lives. >> reporter: let's see. google. the average search takes about half a second. there are 10,000 interconnected google computers which make this incredible speed possible. what's the speed of light? everything you ever wanted to know about king tut. or the person you may have a date with this evening. you can ask in 100 languages. they say that the cia is a client of google technology. let's see. cia google. really? this all started as a research project when larry and sergei were at stanford university. they didn't quite start in a garage. they started in larry's dorm. but in the great tradition of invention, they moved to a garage. >> we stumbled on to building a search engine. even though we didn't intend to do that originally. >> reporter: they borrowed money from professors, from family, anyone they could, and it took off, as larry says, like a

virus. today, they have 1,000 employees. >> i'm sometimes kind of a leery person. so when i end up spenting a lot of my time using something myself, as i did with google in the very earliest days, i knew it was a big deal. >> reporter: the competition to be the search engine of choice is fierce. yahoo! and microsoft want to be number one. google is rumored to be going public this year. google ipo. there are 224,000 pages on this alone. so who are they? larry and sergei? sergei was born in moscow. his family came here in 1979. his father was a math teacher. in the u.s. he became a university professor. >> it was really for my father and for my mother about having opportunity. >> reporter: larry's father caught computer science. larry got a computer when he was 6. precocious would describe him. >> i remember, you know, turning

in my first assignment in elementary school using a computer. the teachers were kind of confused at how i printed it out. >> reporter: they live and work well. they work their heads off, to put it politely. and they pretty much had to make the office a place where people wanted to be a lot of the time. >> how are you today? >> the food that we have i think is one of the best decisions we ever made. >> reporter: we heard their chef used to cook for the grateful dead. chef grateful dead. they don't have much free time. both are single and they eat a lot of dinners at work. sergei does have an interesting hobby. >> i like to do a variety of acrobatics, flying trapeze for a little while. right now i have a little bit of a back injury. i'm focusing on more mental sports. >> reporter: and finally, their philosophy. these young men, who have brought so much into our lives already.

larry. >> we have kind of a mantra of, don't be evil. which is to do the best things we know how for our use, our customers, for everyone. if we were known for that it would be wonderful. >> reporter: and sergei? >> obviously, everybody wanted to be successful. but i want to be looked back on as being very innovative, being very trusted and ethical, and ultimately making a big difference in the world. >> if there's any doubt at all, these guys now 37 years old, they're worth $15 billion. the "forbes" list that came out last week, they're number 11. >> trying to steal away some of the audience they have been able to capture. the best part of google, the pictures. that's today's. why go one more round ? you don't need a rematch, but a rethink. with lunesta. lunesta is thought to interact with gaba receptors

associated with sleep. lunesta helps you get the restful sleep you need. lunesta has some risk of dependency. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. stop fighting with your sleep. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta for a co-pay as low as zero dollars at lunesta.com discover a restful lunesta night. when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement nsurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65,

but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to " 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company, not paid by medicare part b. that can save you from paying .up to thousands of dollars... out of your own pocket. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans... exclusively endorsed by aarp. when you call now, you'll get this free information kit... with all you need to enroll. put their trust in aarp p medicare supplement insuranc. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. the prices are competitive. i can keep my own doctor. and i don't need a referral o see a specialist. call now to get a free information kit. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. and the advantages don't end there. choose from a range of medicare r supplement plans... that are all competitively priced.

we have a plan for almost everyone, so you can find one that fits r your needs and budget. with all medicare supplement plans, there are virtually p no claim forms to fill out. plus you can keep that accepts medicare. p your own doctor and hospital and best of all, these plans are... when they told me these plans were endorsed by aarp... i had only one thing to say... sign me up. and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan. you'll get this free information kit... as with all medicare supplement plans, you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts # medicare, call this toll-free number now.

final lythishalf hour, paul gazan is well known among art lovers. outside that circle not many people are familiar with his work. >> as they open the biggest gaugin exhibit in 50 years. the bbc now reports from london. >> reporter: paul gaugin is best known for these. his paintings of tahitian natives. oh, and for being an egotistical, ruthless, self-publicist who took young lovers and sired illegitimate children. all of which is true. but what this show is really about is gaugin the artist and pioneer who a as a stockbroker collected the work of pisaro and

cezanne. rejected their ideas of painting everyday life and ushered in a new age with works like this. a painting of two parts divided by the trunk of a tree. the left-hand side depicts reality. a group of women, a priest. the other side is a fantasy. a vision of jacob fighting an angel. he uses color to express emotion or metaphor. the red here, for example, representing the supernatural. these ideas led, in part, to the expressionism of his quartersree friend, vin vent van gogh. some 30 years later. which is all very good. why put on the exhibition at this moment? it is simply a case of gaugin's turn. maybe there's a need for a blockbuster. or is there more to this

decision? >> gaugin is very relevant to us today because of the way he explored through his life and art alternatives to what he rejects in material terms of civilization, capitalism. he is drawing away from that, as well as knowing that his art depends on it. so he's fully aware of all the contradictions that we are conscious of today. >> reporter: for all his personal shortcomings -- and there were many -- gaugin was a brilliant colorist. something that is difficult to fully appreciate until a roomful of evidence had been placed before your eyes. >> apparently there's one more piece we have not seen from mr. gaugin. >> let's take a look at that. there it is. the blue represents the insomnia. the blue represents the insomnia. the white jacket r thank you dear, very much. thank you dear, very much. [vibrates] g morning, sunshine. wakey, wakey. text me back.

[chattering] [vibrates] hey. did you tell your parents about us? let's skip first period together. did you get all my texts? is practice over yet? where you at? are you with your friends? that's laaaa-mee. capital "x," lower-case "o," capital "x," lower-case "o," i love you. jk. i hate you. jk. are you ignoring me? we're in a huge fight right now. is it something i did? i can see your lights on. i'm coming over. this isn't a joke. what did you dream about? [overlapping] is it me? i'm lonely. holla back. holla back. let's try something new. nude pics. send me some. text me. iful blonde with itchy welts. they got my family, too!

[detective] a mouse didn't seem like the type. all i do is carry disease and contaminate food. says here... cockroaches spread bacteria... parasitic worms... and trigger asthma attacks. but i hide from people. everything points to you bedbug. excellent! i love prison food. he, he [male announcer] learn how to protect your family at pest world dot org. let's turn over this log. yeah! both: whoa! i like the big black ones. i like the brown wiggly ones. mmm. i like the green crunchy ones myself. whoa. explore nature. there are surprises everywhere. go to discovertheforest.org. flood frustrations. the rare late-summer deluge in

wisconsin and the neighborhood cut off by rising waters. then, tell-all. author bob woodward on his new book "obama's war." >> well, the wars are going to go down with his name on them. >> a diane sawyer exclusive. and, panda-monium. a job opportunity working with pandas in china. >> the most amazing experience i've ever had. >> it's tuesday, september 28th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning and thanks for being with us on this tuesday. i'm vinita nair. >> i'm rob nelson. people in the upper midwest are trying to cope now with record flooding. cleanup has already started in a small minnesota town where 60 of the 90 homes have literally just been washed away. >> not far away, a tiny community has been virtually cut off by rising waters near portage, wisconsin. alex stone reports. >> reporter: floods are rare at this time of the year in the

upper midwest. during the fall the wisconsin river is usually so low you can almost drive across the river bottom. but last week's heavy rain caused it to swell over 20 feet, hitting a new record, breaking the previous one set back in 1938. residents in the blackhawk park neighborhood of caladonia, wisconsin, were asked to leave over the weekend as the levee that protects that area began to deteriorate. some of them did, others chose to stay behind. >> there are so many homes that are just trashed. i mean, they are really bad. >> reporter: monday, they made their way through the rusty, muddy water hoping to inspect the damage done by the only way possible. >> five feet more than everybody else around here. it's the whole lot. and grades up on the road and grades back down toward the lakeside. never had water this high. >> reporter: rural caladonia and nearby portage are shielded by a 14-mile levee system which includes several dikes built over 100 years ago, mainly of

sand. as water began to bubble up, emergency workers began sandbagging though some portions of the levee are so saturated they're in danger of collapse. but there is some good news. the river is expected to hold steady through tuesday then slowly decline over the next few days. forecasters expect a dry week ahead though a flood warning remains in effect. alex stone, abc news. flooding has forced a south dakota farmer to carve out a unique way to harvest his crops. jerry ward's pumpkins are under water so he is using a jet ski to collect them. one by one they are put on dry ground. jerry said if he waited another day the whole crop would have rotted. thousands of people are without power this morning in southern california after a day of record heat. the temperature hit 113 degrees in downtown l.a. that's the hottest reading ever. along with the heat came an increased risk of fire danger.

crews were able to contain several small fires, including one in ventura county. now here is a look at your tuesday forecast. cooling off to the mid 80s in downtown l.a. hotter inland. showers in parts of wisconsin, illinois, and missouri. light rain from seattle to tacoma. heavier rain along the east coast. from miami to maine. severe wither from philly to boston. >> 80s in new york and baltimore. 76 in atlanta. dallas climbs to 85. kansas city 70. chicago 65. it's 85 in salt lake city. 100 in sacramento. and 70 in seattle. well, there is about to be another high-profile resignation from president obama's inner circle. white house chief of staff rahm emanuel. abc news has learned emanuel plans to announce his resignation on friday. emanuel wants to run for mayor of chicago. he must collect thousands of signatures in order to qualify for february's mayoral primary. president obama is expected to name a temporary replacement on friday as well. also, the president is in new mexico this morning to talk about the economy with families

in albuquerque. >> then he will put on his campaigner in chief hat during a stop in the midwest. john hendren is in washington this morning with the latest. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, vinita and rock. president obama goes to wisconsin later today to rally young voters. but unlike 2008, the voters who are most inspired to vote among those students seem to be republicans. >> you can't sit it out. you can't suddenly just check in once every ten years or so on an exciting presidential election and then not pay attention during big midterm elections where we've got a real big choice between democrats and republicans. >> reporter: in his presidential campaign, candidate obama was a veritable pied piper to young voters. >> we have given young people a reason to believe, and we have brought the young at heart back to the polls who want to believe again. >> reporter: two years later, young voters are less engaged and less inclined to vote for democrats. in the most recent abc news/"washington post" poll, 55% of voters ages 18 to 29 said they were absolutely certain to vote this fall. that's compared to 78% among those 50 to 64, and 77% of those over 65.

unlike the president's trademark message of hope and change, this time the message is filling the air waves are distinctly negative. hardly inspiration for young voters to come to the polls. president obama faces an uphill battle. polls show voters angry toward those in power and young republicans more eager to vote than young democrats. vinita and rob? the head of the segway company has apparently fallen to his death while riding one of those two-wheeled scooters. jimmy hassleman's body was found at the base of a 40-foot cliff in england. a segway was found nearby. police are not saying much about the incident just yet but the family says there will be a full investigation into his death. and the accidental death is certain of course to raise new questions about segway safety. a new report finds the number of injuries has gone up significantly. records from the george washington university emergency room found that 25% of those who had gotten hurt had to be admitted to the hospital.

many suffering head injuries. just 17% of riders actually wore helmets. federal officials botched the handling of the gulf oil spill. that is according to critics at a hearing on the administration's response. the repeated lowballing of the spill estimates undermined public confidence in the cleanup efforts, according to leaders of the commission. a bp executive said it was clear the government was calling the shots. >> experts from across government and industry combined their knowledge and expertise to fight this spill. i do not believe that any single one entity could have responded alone. >> the hearing wraps up today by focusing on other potential mistakes, including the use of those chemical dispersants. >> the story breaks my heart. despite the saints suffering their first loss of the season sunday -- shut up, willis -- plenty of reasons to celebrate in new orleans. you may recall this past february, my saints were crowned super bowl champions. there's the big victory parade. the big easy has always let the good times roll in more ways than one. births are currently up 46% at

one new orleans hospital and a spike is expected soon as we mark nine months since that glorious night in miami. all the new saints fans are nicknamed, what else, the new dat. i like that. burning down the ballroom last night, keeping a close eye on her quick-stepping cub. >> sarah palin made her first appearance on "dancing with the stars" to cheer on her daughter bristol. palin heaped praise on the dancers and the judges and she referred to her daughter as bristol the pistol. >> not a bad nickname. bristol did pretty well last night. she racked up 22 of the 30 points. for the second straight week the top four went to dirty dancer jennifer grey. i can't believe the hoff is off now. >> that disappoints you, really? >> i thought the hoff was going to be the comedic relief. >> we've still got "the situation." i'm still rooting for him. >> who knew he was pigeon-toed, i didn't see that coming. >> he got a situation. more news after this.

why go one more round ? you don't need a rematch, but a rethink. with lunesta. lunesta is thought to interact with gaba receptors associated with sleep. lunesta helps you get the restful sleep you need. lunesta has some risk of dependency. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. stop fighting with your sleep. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you.

get lunesta for a co-pay as low as zero dollars at lunesta.com discover a restful lunesta night.

bob woodward's new book "obama's war" has people talking inside and outside the beltway. >> it's a behind the scenes glimpse at how the president charted the course of the war in afghanistan. diane sawyer sat down with woodward in an abc news exclusive. >> reporter: the book is filled with big personalities and big debates. there is vice president joe biden. showing up unannounced early one morning as the president comes down the stairs to warn that afghanistan could lead to another vietnam. >> and the president says, i am not going to sign on to failure. i am not going to be like those other presidents and stick with

it because of my ego, my politics, my political security. in other words, barack obama says, i'm not going to be lyndon johnson. we have to have a plan for getting out, for ending this war. >> you do have a heart-pounding description of a brand-new president. he gets the briefing about the constellation of terror in the world. >> it's a cold shower. imagine. the high of being elected on that tuesday, and then they come in two days later and say, by the way, here are the secrets. >> at one point later on, the president is told there are 20 al qaeda converts trying to get into the united states. >> it's a drum beat. they're coming. they're planning. they're plotting. they're communicating. >> what is his reaction to that

when he gets these briefings? >> well, if you want to play what he told me, i'll -- i mean, i was -- i jumped in my chair a little bit when he told me. when he literally said, we can absorb a terrorist attack. >> i said very early on, as a senator, and continued to believe as a presidential candidate and now as president, that we can -- we can absorb a terrorist attack. we'll do everything we can to prevent it. but even 9/11, even the biggest attack ever, that ever took place on our soil, we absorbed it and we are stronger. >> i suspect consciously, unconsciously, he's laying the groundwork for telling the people, we can absorb it, we'll try to prevent it. >> the establishment wanted 40,000 troops. an open-ended commitment.

he wanted a plan for a u.s. exit. in the end, he gave 30,000. but still, the military kept pushing. the president kept resisting. >> he said, i'm not doing ten years. i am not doing a never-ending nation building. i'm not going to spend $1 trillion. >> what's the angriest he gets at the military? >> at one of the meetings, if i can quote him directly, he says, i'm pissed. and he is. because they keep coming back about details. and they're trying to push him in that direction. and he's pushing back. >> and again, he sits down and he dictates a six-page document -- >> to the military. >> ever before done, to your knowledge, in american history? >> not that i know. >> someone says to him, if you do this, it will become your war. he said? >> it already is. >> and why "obama's war"?

why not "obama's health care"? why not one of the other topics that will go down with his stamp on it, his name on it? >> well, the wars are going to go down with his name on it. he spends countless hours on it. it's a weight on his shoulders. he writes a letter to the family of anyone who dies. and you can't do that week after week and not realize that this is not -- this is your choice, your war. >> of course, the white house has not come out and refuted anything about the book. they said they tried to spin it and say it scholls the president here as being decisive and thoughtful. >> interesting bob woodward said he was able to get to laura bush, but michelle obama is a nut he couldn't crack. >> hard to get to the most popular person these days maybe. >> in case you'd like to see more from bob woodward, he will be on "good morning america" to

talk about the latest fallout from his book. should be an interesting interview to say the least. >> always interesting with bob. who is not laughing as george lopez ends his long marriage. mariah carey's scare ♪ doo doo doo doo doo ♪ ♪ doo doo doo doo doo ♪ ♪ green, green ♪ green ♪ it's your home, it's your dream ♪ ♪ radon testing, keep it healthy and clean ♪ ♪ make it green, green, green making it green is making sure the air in your home is healthy for your family to breathe. make sure you test your home for the presence of radon. it's easy. to learn more, call... preserve your family's health and well-being. get your home tested. now, that's living healthy and green. ♪ green, green, green ♪ it's your home, it's your dream ♪

♪ radon testing, keep it healthy and clean ♪ ♪ make it green, green, green ♪ to learn more, call...

welcome back, everybody. time for "the skinny." we have divorce news to pass on this morning. comedian george lopez apparently is splitting up with his wife after 17 years of marriage. they've been together a long time. they have a 15-year-old daughter named maya. they have the lopez foundation which they run together. apparently they're calling it quits. they said they've been working out details of the split for a long time. this has been in the works for a while. the interesting part of the story, you may remember a couple of years ago back in 2005, she actually gave a kidney to george to help save his life. he had some kind of disease. kind of saved his life at the time. saying, he doesn't need to thank me, for what, i love him.

now fast forward five years, now they're getting split. i wonder if he has to give the kidney back. >> you don't ask for it back. i'm sorry about the kidney. >> i want my kidney. >> that is really, really sad. they have a 15-year-old daughter as well. >> yeah, that's a long marriage, especially by hollywood standards. >> definitely shocking news that erupted yesterday, people hearing about it. >> let's talk about mariah. we shouldn't laugh. take a look. she's performing in singapore, she comes teetering out onto the stage, they say her high heel stilettos -- i know you can't see them -- >> oh, oh, oh, oh! >> there she goes. the best part about this, she was very graceful. she said, i did this on purpose. the whole thing is, after it happened she is just like, forget these shoes. she calls an assistant over and proceeds to continue to take off my shoes, take off my shoes. someone comes out, she's funny about it, she says something along the lines of, i know i'm not supposed to be barefoot but these shoes hurt. and of course this is also on the heels of all these pregnancy rumors. a lot of people saying they

think she could be something like four months pregnant. she is consistently denying. while i appreciate everyone's well wishes i am very superstitious, when the time is right i will let everyone know. a lot of people pointing to the fact that if she is pregnant, it's scary she fell in these four-inch heels. >> if she's that far along why is she rocking the stilettos? >> she looks good. >> she looks pregnant these days. i love mariah carey. >> you hope that they are because nick cannon i feel like is always aggressively spreading that rumor that she is pregnant. >> yeah, yeah. >> you hope for them because they've been trying, haven't they? >> awhile, yeah. >> she needs to avoid the heels, though. >> yeah. baby stilettos don't mix. jim carrey and jenny mccarthy, they're calling it quits. jenny's going on "oprah" to kind of explain a little bit as to why the relationship didn't work out. take a listen. >> tell me, when did you know it was over? you talk a little bit about this in the book. how do you know it's over? >> the simple word i can give,

and there's a few so let me say a few. the first thing is, when it's not fun anymore. you need to start investigating and do inquiry into the relationship. >> wasn't funny anymore. she said a couple of days after they broke up, she was spotted about a month kissing a man in vegas. mystery man. she was asked about the guy but gave no details. she said, i'm not getting into anything too serious right now. so that's it. >> we have one other quick breakup to tell you about. team conan is losing a valuable member. for 17 years. max weinberg is not making the move to tbs. like i said, 17 years. they said he won't be joining them on "conan," that's the new name of the late-night program. it is set to air coming up in november. you won't be seeing him there. he said it was a very rewarding experience. i should say november 8th. they remain very good friends. they have a strong bromance. around his house. these people chose freedom over restrictions.

independence over limitations. they chose mobility. they chosehe scooter store. and this is the team of mobility experts who made it all happen. ii great news, you've been approved for payment. dr. cruz, i'm calling on behalf ofmarie stanford. and they can make it happen for you. hi, i'm doug harrison, if you're living with limited mobility, call the scooter store today. i promise, no other company will work harder to make you mobile or do more to ensure your total satisfaction. i expected they'd help me file some paperwork with medicare and my insurance. i never expected them to be so nice or work so hard to get me a power chair at no cost to me. if we qualify you and medicare denies your claim for a w scooter or power chair, i'll give it to you absolutely free. that's the scooter store guarantee. we'll wo with your insurance company, even help with financing.

if there's a way, we'll find it. when they delivered mom's power chair, i expected they'd show her how to use it once or twice. that man stayed for hours! whatever it takes, as long as it takes. that's our guarantee. why do we go to < uch great lengths? because making you mobile is our mission. we'llwork wit your doctor. we'll work with medicare and lçur private insurance. we'll even service your scooter anywhere in the country. call the sco÷"er store today.

when a tornado tore through holly, colorado, air life denver took to the air... their night-vision goggles keeping them safe on a perilous flight... and powering those precision goggles--- is the only battery air life trusts: duracell. broad daylight or the darkest night... it just has to work. duracell. trusted everywhere. here are some stories to

watch today on abc news. hearings on the deadly pipeline explosion earlier this month in san bruno, california, begin today. executives from a gas utility are expected to testify at the commerce committee's meetings on capitol hill. we expect to learn more about salary trends involving women executives later this morning. a congressional committee will be looking into men and women managers, their earnings, and the salary gap among genders. and nashville's grand opryhouse reopens tonight. the concert venue was heavily damaged five months ago by one of the worst floods in that area's history. finally this half hour, a little panda-monium. thousands of people around the world recently applied for a dream job in china. >> it is a chance of a lifetime to work with pandas. who are the lucky finalists and what exactly is that job description? here's clarissa ward. >> reporter: it might just be the coolest job ever. day in and day out, working with some of the most adorable animals. and promoting their cause to the

world. well, today that dream job becomes a reality. 61,000 people from more than 50 countries applied online for the chance to become pan-bassadors -- panda ambassadors. now 12 semifinalists are in southwest china for a week of training before the six winners are chosen. the pan-bassadors won't be getting an official salary for their work here. make no mistake, the opportunity to hang out with these guys all the time, absolutely priceless. >> love that bamboo, huh? >> reporter: 25-year-old ashley robertson from alabama has dreamt of coming to china and working with pandas since she was a little girl. >> this is like the most amazing experience i've ever had. >> reporter: the program is intensive. the group learn about threats to the pandas' existence. they study their habitats, prepare their food, even clean up their enclosures. >> i am in a panda enclosure, picking up poop. >> reporter: the winning six will spend a full month learning more skills through the nursing

of six cubs before returning to their home countries to spread the word about panda conservation. an awesome job for a noble cause. i'm clarissa ward in china. >> and those that win the title will be called pan-bassadors. kind of a clever title. i was curious because i often am, are pandas violent? they are not. the truth of the matter is if they are provoked they usually run away. they can become violent but generally speaking they are as cute as they look there. >> it's always amazed me, not being a big animal person myself, just how people really, really love animals. it's just amazing to me. >> you wouldn't go there? if this doesn't work out? >> that is not my -- yeah, this doesn't work out, we'll see. >> that's the news for this half hour.

you are good to go. so, have you made your decision yet? yeah, i think so. the wishes of thousands of children are waiting to come true. you can make it happen. find out how today at wish.org. vital votes. today's strategy for the president and the democrats

before the midterm elections. then, harsh words. >> there was no plan then and there is no plan now. >> criticism over the gulf oil spill, the investigation, and the cleanup. and, tesla test drive. driving green in the hottest sports car on the road. it's tuesday, september 28th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> finally a green car that looks kind of cool. kind of sporty. i could rock one of those. not here in new york. >> i'm curious how they drive. should be good to hear how his review is. do you feel the same as in a sports car? >> looks kind of cool. good morning, everybody, i'm rob nelson. >> i'm vinita nair. with democrats scrambling for voters, president obama is back on the campaign trail today. he is in new mexico this morning and from there he goes to wisconsin. >> the president is trying to reach out to voters who supported him in huge numbers

back in 2008. here now is jake tapper. >> reporter: the president gave a pep talk via conference call to college and university students, urging them to re-engage. >> you can't sit it out. you can't suddenly just check in once every ten years or so on an exciting presidential election, and then not pay attention during big midterm elections where we've got a real big choice between democrats and republicans. >> reporter: two years ago, embracing the notion of change, young voters turned out in droves. voting overwhelmingly for obama. today, the president heads to the university of wisconsin at madison to kick off a series of democratic rallies where he wants to recreate at least some of the excitement of a memorable 2008 campaign rally. >> we have given young people a reason to believe. >> reporter: there may have been no one more spell-bound at that 2008 rally than brian egan. >> i want to thank also my director of wisconsin students for obama, brian egan. >> reporter: egan says excitement and engagement is not close to what it was two years ago. >> it's going to be a challenge. but it's a challenge worth

waging. we're hopeful that once students learn about the election, who's on the ballot, what the issues are at stake, they will once again show up and vote and vote for democrats. >> reporter: polls show diminished enthusiasm among young voters nationally, which is bad news for democrats since young voters tend to lean left. >> they're paying attention. they want to participate. but they're starting to increase in their cynicism about the political process. >> reporter: it is a challenge for the president to go from conjuring dreamy notions of what might be, to defending the best that he could do. jake tapper, abc news, albuquerque, new mexico. there is a shakeup coming inside the west wing as white house chief of staff rahm emanuel resigns. abc news has learned emanuel may announce friday he is leaving so he can run for the mayor of chicago. to qualify for february's chicago primary, emanuel must collect thousands of signatures. a temporary replacement for emanuel may be named by the white house on friday as well.

the administration's response to the gulf oil spill is under some pretty intense criticism this morning. >> officials and experts at a two-day hearing insist the job was botched. john hendren has the latest from washington. john? >> reporter: good morning, vinita and rob. the president of plaquemines parish in louisiana has long been one of the biggest critics of the oil spill cleanup effort. the man who spent his summer blasting bp calls the cleanup an utter failure. >> this was a disaster from the way it was handled from day one. >> reporter: over -- >> there was no plan then, and there is no plan now. >> reporter: and over. >> they were ineffective, not prepared, had no boom, no equipment for this response. >> reporter: the gulf oil spill was an environmental and public relations disaster. at a hearing investigating how the government responded to this spill, the national incident commander acknowledged there was confusion over who was in charge. >> it may be more perception than reality but it doesn't matter. once the perception is so great that it starts to intrude in the response, then you need to deal

with it. >> reporter: earlier this month, bp permanently killed the well, ending the worst oil spill in u.s. history. >> experts from across government and industry combined their knowledge and expertise to fight this spill. i do not believe that any single one entity could have responded alone. >> reporter: by then the damage was done. nearly 5 million barrels of oil had gushed into the gulf of mexico. the oil spill was 60 times bigger than originally estimated. the head of the oil spill commission compared the government's lowballing to general custer's underestimate of the number of indians at little big horn. both, he said, had disastrous consequences. vinita and rob? the first execution in california in more than four years is on hold this morning. convict albert greenwood brown had been scheduled to die tomorrow for raping and killing a 15-year-old girl. there's a problem getting the drugs necessary for brown's lethal injection due to a shortage. a different drug was being considered but a federal appeals court said that drug was illegal.

several states have had to delay or reschedule executions because of the drug shortage. a denver tv station is reporting that investigators have met with jonbenet ramsey's brother. burt ramsey was 9 years old when his sister was murdered back in 1996. he has never been considered a serious suspect in the murder, but he was at home during the crime. there has been disturbing testimony in the case of an army sergeant accused of launching a plan to kill innocent citizens in afghanistan. five soldiers have been charged in the case of battlefield murder. brian ross investigates. >> reporter: in february, in a call for help from this army base in afghanistan, 20-year-old specialist adam winfield told his parents in florida via facebook that his staff sergeant was murdering innocent afghan civilians. but that he didn't feel safe telling anyone at the base about it. >> he said that if he told anybody over there, he would never make it past that night. he would never make it home. >> reporter: the winfields say they called six different army officers and a senator to get

help. >> thank you for calling ft. lewis. >> reporter: were either ignored or told nothing could be done. now their son adam is one of those charged with murder, forced by the sergeant, they say, to take part in the killing in may of an unarmed afghan man. >> it's heartbreaking. and i've been crying ever since. >> reporter: other soldiers also say the sergeant, calvin gibbs, seen here in a high school photo, forced gis in his unit to help him pick out unarmed afghans then kill them for sport, collecting body parts as souvenirs. on a tape obtained by abc news, corporal jeremy morelock, also charged with murder, told army investigators sergeant gibbs was crazy, that no one could tell him no. >> you don't want to cross paths with gibbs at all. when it comes to killing people, it's too easy for that guy.

>> reporter: it is shades of vietnam, including allegations that soldiers at the base regularly use drugs, hashish laced with opium, to deal with the stress of their lives in afghanistan. >> bad days, stressful days, days that we just need an escape. >> reporter: the military now confirms it is investigating the allegations that the parents of adam winfield tried back in february to warn the army, that both innocent afghan civilians and u.s. soldiers were being put at risk. brian ross, abc news, new york. the fallout from the merger of southwest and airtran airways could impact travel in most of the nation. southwest is buying airtran for nearly $1.5 billion. the deal opens the way for southwest to move into 37 new cities, including atlanta, and will increase its presence in both new york and boston as well. southwest says it will drop airtran's baggage fees. >> a little bit of silver lining there. >> no kidding. here's a look at your weather.

coastal rain from florida to new england. hail, downpours, flash flooding and 60-mile-an-hour winds around boston, new york and philadelphia. more flooding for the carolinas and showers from milwaukee to st. louis. >> phoenix still hot hitting 104. sacramento 100. colorado springs 92. 71 in omaha. 68 indianapolis. and 60 in detroit. much of the northeast will hover around 80 degrees. 80s also from dallas to miami. well, we have a sad passing to tell you about this morning. hollywood is remembering the only cast member of the blockbuster "titanic" who was actually around when the ship originally sank. >> gloria stuart passed away sunday. she was best known for her role as the older rose in the huge hit "titanic." she did dozens of films in the 1930s and '40s. she took a break from acting for three decades. when she returned she was as feisty as ever. >> you know, i don't think of myself as old. i never have. i just like to keep busy. that's been my sort of motto. don't take everything seriously,

don't believe everything you've ever heard, don't conform. it's a big joke. up yours. >> as you might have imagined, from that sound bite there, stuart spent years -- an interesting life. she was an acclaimed painter before becoming the oldest person to ever be nominated for an oscar. her "titanic" costar leonardo dicaprio called her a force on and off the screen. stuart was diagnosed with lung cancer five years ago. she died at the age of 100. >> everyone loved her in that movie too. >> if you were looking at that thinking, god, she looks so old when they did the "titanic," she was 80 when they made "titanic." she said she spent hours in makeup to make her look 101 years old. very drastic makeup. >> passing of a legend. we'll be back with more after this.

hoveround power chair? the statue of liberty? the grand canyon? it's all possible ith a hoveround., tom: hi i'm tom kruse, inventor rand founder of hoveround., when we say you're free to see the world, we mean it. call today and get a free overound information kit, that includes a video and full color brochure. dennis celorie: "it's by far the best chair i've ever owned." terri: "last year, 9 out of 10 people got their hoveround for "little or no money." jim plunkitt: "no cost. absolutely no cost to me." breaking news...when you call today, we'll include a free hoveround collapsible grabber with the purchase of your power chair. it reaches, it grabs, it's collapsible and it's portable. it goes wherever you go. get it free while supplies last. call the number on your screen to get your free video, brochure and your free hoveround collapsible grabber. call the number on your screen.

why go one more round ? you don't need a rematch, but a rethink. with lunesta. lunesta is thought to interact with gaba receptors associated with sleep. lunesta helps you get the restful sleep you need. lunesta has some risk of dependency. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembebeng it the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. stop fighting with your sleep. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta for a co-pay as low as zero dollars

at lunesta.com discover a restful lunesta night.

welcome back, everybody. those miners in chile have been trapped now for 53 days and they're still doing pretty well considering. >> it is hoped the 33 men will be rescued next month. until then the miners must cope and cooperate. bbc's tim wilcox reports from chile. >> reporter: day and night the drilling continues. it's day 53 and the men have already spent longer trapped underground than any other miner in history. the rescue attempt at such depths, another world first. as the families here at camp hope wait and pray for their safe return, how are the 33 coping psychologically? how do they keep hope alive 700 meters underground?

andre speaks to them every day. a specialist in training people in extreme conditions. >> i believe one of the keys for surviving is that they have been able to build a society. they're working as a society. they're coping with the confinement and the not being able to get out of there as a society. >> are they afraid? >> the youngsters, yes. the olders are doing a great job at monitoring and talking and conversing with the youngers. and they're holding on. >> reporter: it's been the longest of shifts for these men. still working and sleeping underground in temperatures 30 degrees plus, humidity levels of 85%. but life down here is also curiously normal. daily complaints about the food being sent down, and constant requests for cigarettes.

tim wilcox at the san jose mine, chile. >> certainly keeping their spirits up. coming up, the hot sports car that does not burn a lot of gas. >> the electric tesla super car and the thrill from behind the wheel. you're watching "world news now."

electric cars are meant to be fuel efficient and cost efficient but they don't have to be boring. >> that's where the sporty electric tesla roadster comes in. giving style to the next generation of electric cars. daniel seburg took one for a test drive. >> reporter: speed limit says 50 so we actually can't test out just how fast this can go off the line. apparently it can go from 0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds. this car weighs about 2,700 pounds. about one-third of that weight is thanks to those batteries

that are all in the back there, about 7,000 of those little cells. 900 pounds' worth of it. so that's actually giving you a little bit of stability in this car. back in the rear there. boy, that was a good day. driving the tesla roadster, sportster edition. the wind whistling through my glasses. before we race too far ahead of ourselves let's put it in reverse for a second. >> right behind us you can see the individual modules that go into the roadster. 6,831 total in the package. 11 of those modules make up a battery. >> reporter: tesla's jason mendez is referring to the nearly 7,000 lithium ion battery packs that comprise the tesla engine. we got a chance to see the assembly line in action. their facility near palo alto, california. >> smaller cells, obviously. it's much more work to package them together. they have bigger cells, you'd have much more vulnerability at the cell level. >> reporter: these cells are the

key to the tesla technology. the company, which was founded in 2003, has staked its future on making electric cars powerful and mainstream. though it still has a long road ahead to make it affordable. >> the tesla roadster starts right at about $100,000. that's including a federal tax credit that's currently in place. the new one will be half that price. it will be $50,000, including the $7,500 federal credit. so from our first product to our second product, we're cutting the price in half. the desire of tesla to continue making a higher volume of cars at lower prices. >> reporter: the tesla model "s," which will be less of a sports car and more of a sedan, is expected to be available sometime in 2012. currently you have to spot the prototype at a car show to see how it will perform. meanwhile the company has sold just more than 1,100 tesla roadsters. it's obviously not that many. but if you can turn your head fast enough and spot one, they definitely stand out. other car companies have taken

notice of more than just its aesthetics. >> by the end of this year we'll have delivered 35 electric rav 4 prototypes to toyota. the purpose of that is for toyota to assess tesla power train technology in greater detail. daimler is already purchasing batteries and charging systems for some of their products. toyota may do so in larger quantities in the future. certainly if other companies are interested in doing that sort of thing we would discuss that with them. >> reporter: that may be an increasingly large part of tesla's strategy. farming out its technology as traditional carmakers look for more alternative energy solutions. c-net's brian cooley. >> this to me is a relationship investment, to make sure they have access to toyota's intellectual property, what they've developed, their technology. which may very well show up in a toyota vehicle. i'm not saying toyota's going to acquire tesla, i don't have any information along those lines. but the idea that toyota wants to be in touch with that technology shows that they don't know what's next after the prius.

>> reporter: certainly the tesla isn't alone. there's the chevy volt, which actually has a gas engine that gets more mileage through its electric components. the nissan leaf. and the mitsubishi i-miev to name a few. the tough part, aside from the price, may be getting people to rethink how they fuel up. >> this is the equivalent of the gas nozzle. >> it is. the difference is you plug it in in your house. >> right. >> you don't have to go to the gas station, you go home and you plug in. >> reporter: tesla claims a completely drained battery can be fully recharged in about three and a half hours with the 220 volt outlet. with a typical 110 volt outlet that charging time could mean leaving it overnight. a far cry from the time it takes at the gas station. while it remains out of reach for the vast majority of consumers the tesla roadster is silently making a lot of noise outside silicon valley. >> we're about as quiet as those bikes that just went by. not totally quiet. it's pretty silent. you really can't hear any kind of noise right now. once we start moving you hear a

little bit. it's definitely faster than those bikes. one of the major hurdles remains building enough charging stations across the country to support electric cars like the tesla. for now that remains a chicken and egg dilemma. we'll have to see what lies down the road. rob and vinita, back to you. >> just $102,000 for that car. i guess they figure you'll save what you don't shell out for gas. >> you have to say so often when you see those cars you can immediately pick them out on the road. i think in that instance you really can. daniel went on to say it does handle a lot like a sports car. he says you don't have that power steering feel that you have in a big sedan or something like that. he was impressed with how it ran. >> nice to see a green car that looks cool. i'd drive that car. on top of that also, this report was from an abc news now show called "tech this out." we'll bring you more every week. if you fight to slslp in the middle of the night,

why go one more round ? you don't need a rematch, but a rethink. with lunesta. lunesta is thought to interact with gaba receptors

associated with sleep. lunesta helps you get the restful sleep you need. lunesta has some risk of dependency. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembebeng it the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. stop fighting with your sleep. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta for a co-pay as low as zero dollars at lunesta.com discover a restful lunesta night. "world news now" delivers your "morning papers."

>> everybody knows somebody who has a really bad tattoo. >> oh, yes. >> this guy is the guy you need to tell your friend about. because you're not even going to believe this story. take a look at the tattoo on that guy's head. what it says is quad city rocker and 93 rock, etched permanently in his head, that is a real tattoo. the back story to this, 48-year-old jonathan winkleman and his stepson are listening to the radio and the jockeys are making a joke, saying we'll get a six figure payout if someone tattooed our call letters and logo to their forehead. these two nitwits actually go to a tattoo parlor, have it tattooed on their head. they go, and of course the guys say this is a promo. they file a lawsuit, they immediately dismiss it. the kicker is how did that picture, how did he get it? the guy ends up committing a misdemeanor, he gets a mug shot taken. this photo has gone viral. >> i'm sure. >> it's all over the place. now the station had to change its letters and its format.

this poor man, his name, jonathan winkleman, his story is everywhere. >> moron of the week. oh, man, come on. on your forehead? >> you know his defense, he said something along the lines of, you shouldn't take advantage of people who have a greed and a lack of common good sense. >> oh, come on now. >> he knows. >> i don't know. well. go on from all that. bizarre story here from overseas. apparently some animal authorities were a little nervous because they spotted this very unusual-looking cat. show this picture now. this cat, totally pink as you can see here. the people -- this is a prank, must have been some form of animal cruelty. very cool. this thing is dyed so pink, it actually glows in the dark. it's sparked this investigation. this woman, natasha gregory, saw the media coverage. it went on a national hunt to find the person who did this. she comes out and said, that's my cat, it ran away a few days

ago when i dyed it with food color to match my hair. she said, i just poured some of the liquid over my head and brought them together and then over the cat. i was careful to avoid her face and eyes, though. mother of two, 22 years old, dyed her cat pink. nationwide hunt for the person who did this. then she says, i'd do it all again, i make no apologies for my pink cat. >> this is obviously someone who should not have a pet. >> should not have a pet. no. she has two kids, think about that. >> last but not least, here's one way to clear a dance floor. a guy in germany, everyone's dancing, it's a packed night. he goes over and urinates on a socket, shorts the entire dance floor. >> we've all been there. >> the club was forced to cl

or anytime at abcnews.com. >> have a great tuesday. making news on this tuesday, september 28th. >> replaci